Lauren Betts headed to the Team USA training camp in December last year, healed from her elbow injury, proud and ready to impress. But an unfortunate incident in the locker room before coach Cori Close’s arrival seemingly shook her up. She can laugh about it now, yes, but it is not an experience she would like to relive anytime soon.

She revealed in a recent episode of the “Bird’s Eye View” podcast that someone had accidentally made contact with her elbow, leading to a moment of pure panic in the locker room. Sue Bird, who was also at the camp as Managing Director, described the situation by saying, “I think someone maybe brushed against it, and we were like, ‘Hold her out. Cori’s not coming for us.’”

In that moment, Betts was also beside herself. “I was terrified as well. I was like, I don’t want Cori to get mad at me, so I’m just gonna take myself out,” she said.

The moment was awkward because Betts had only just recovered. So coach Cori Close, who worked with Betts at UCLA, would have been livid if someone had aggravated the elbow injury again. So before things got worse and the injury flared up, Betts decided to sit the practice out herself.

Betts injured her elbow in November 2025 during a UCLA game against the Texas Longhorns. An intense battle for possession resulted in Madison Booker falling on Betts’ arm. Booker’s body weight caused her arm to buckle awkwardly, and the pain was so severe that Betts had to leave the game midway through and head to the locker room for medical evaluation.

Betts was embarrassed about the injury when Bird brought it up in the podcast. It’s because basketball stars don’t normally injure their elbows, which is what Betts felt. 

 “I was just like, of all things, like why my elbow? Like that’s the weirdest injury to have. But I did. And then I wore that little arm sleeve for a while. And then I was like, this just needs to come off. Like this isn’t me,” she said.

Going by Betts’ comments, though, she and the rest of the team were more worried about Cori Close than the elbow. It was a fun topic to discuss on a podcast, but there was clearly nothing funny at the time for anyone involved in the camp.  

Lauren Betts’ WNBA era begins

A No.1 prospect in High School and one of the best in the country during her UCLA days, Betts was always going to make it to the WNBA as one of the top picks. In 2026, the Washington Mystics drafted her #4 overall, and expectations were high ahead of her debut against Toronto. Sadly, she didn’t even get on the scoresheet. 

The Mystics won 68-65, but Betts finished with zero points and five rebounds. She followed that up with scoring outings of 7, 4, and 11 points in her next three games, though it has not exactly been the dream start to her WNBA career. 

“I feel like that’s just how it is, I feel like, your rookie year. And I think the biggest thing is that you can’t compare your process to other people because everyone is in different situations,” Betts said in the podcast. “You can’t get caught up in that. You just gotta focus on getting better and staying present.”

Betts’ improvement has been slight, but gradual. The 11 points she scored against Dallas came at 71% shooting. Against the Storm on Sunday, she will be looking to achieve a new career high. 

“I think, for me, (it’s) just going to every single game with, like, ‘I don’t know what it’s going to look like this game, but when I’m in there, I’m going to be ready to go, and I’m going to give to my team.’ And that’s all that matters,” she added. 

In college, during the 2024-25 season, she averaged close to 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. The following year, she averaged 17.1 points per game as the Bruins won the NCAA championship. As such, she entered the WNBA as one of the most hyped young stars in the country.

Betts has also enjoyed success with Team USA. She won the FIBA U16 Championship in Chile, where she averaged 12.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. She then featured in the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary, making the team at just 17 years old as the youngest player on the roster. Even then, she played all seven games, averaging 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds to help Team USA secure another gold medal.

After that tournament, Betts made the jump to the senior setup while still in college. She represented Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in Mexico, starting every game as the team finished with a silver medal. Betts still delivered an impressive tournament, averaging 11.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.